On This Day in Valois History–May 1572:Jeanne d’Albret is at the French Court negoti
On This Day in Valois History–May 1572:Jeanne d’Albret is at the French Court negotiating the marriage of her son, Prince Henri of Navarre, to Princess Marguerite de Valois, proposes Henri be married by proxy and that after the ceremony she will conduct her son and his wife to Pau. Queen Catherine de Médicis has very different ideas— she wants Henri of Navarre to attend a Paris ceremony in person and wants couple to reside for at least a portion of every year at the French Court.Jeanne gathers a number of Huguenot nobles and notables to advise her on resolving this discrepancy, leading to perhaps one of the most prescient pieces of advice in French history when François de Béthune, Baron de Rosny, declares:“Believe me, Madame, that if these nuptials are ever celebrated in Paris, the liveries worn will be blood-colored.”Of course the wedding was celebrated at Paris only to be followed by one of the bloodiest massacres in French history—a massacre that the Baron’s own son barely survived by disguising himself as a catholic.[the picture above is a depiction of the young Maximillian confronted in the streets of Paris during the massacre from a picture that hangs in his chateau—Sully sur Loire] -- source link
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